Montpellier, Gloucestershire

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Montpellier is a district in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, at the end of the Promenade south of the town centre. Originally developed in the 1830s in conjunction with the spas, it is now known for its bars and cafes as well as range of specialist shops.

The bars include The Montpellier Wine Bar [1], The Rotunda Tavern (often known locally as "The Rot"), The Salisbury, O'Neill's and The Residence with The Circus Bar at the lower end of Montpellier Street.

Eating establishments include The Joy (Indian), Le Quinze (French), The Mandarin Kite (Cantonese), and Strada.

Sadly, the Post Office and the Butchers have recently (2005) closed but there are several clothing boutiques, a traditional sweet shop, a couple of jewellers and two well stocked cook shops.

Montpellier Walk, designed by W.H. Knight in 1840, is noted for the caryatids supporting the shop fronts. It leads to the Montpellier Spa, built for Henry Thompson by George Allen Underwood in 1817 with its distinctive Rotunda added by John Buonarotti Papworth as a pump room in 1825. It is now a branch of Lloyds Bank. Opposite are Montpellier Gardens, also alid out by Papworth.

[edit] References

David Verey, Gloucestershire: the Vale and the Forest of Dean, The Buildings of England edited by Nicholas Pevsner, 2nd ed (1976) ISBN 0-14-071041-8